Diamantine (Weapons and Wielders Book 2)

by Andrew Rowe

 

  I snorted. Hey, don’t make fun of Bob, he’s a good guy. Now, Jimmy Grippingthumb, on the other hand...

 

  I know. That’s why you like me.

  While we bantered, the announcer continued to explain the match.

  “The areas are interconnected, and contestants may move between them to seek the maximum number of points possible. We have sixteen...sorry, fifteen challengers for this particular part of the round. Let’s take a look at some of the most prominent, while they get ready for the match to begin.”

  I frowned at the numeric correction. Presumably, it was because I’d been pulled out of the match...but why had that happened?

  I glanced around briefly. No one in the box was giving me undue attention, as far as I could tell. I still felt an itch at the back of my mind that something was amiss, but I tried to ignore it for the time being. I could investigate after the match.

  My eyes shifted back to the crystal, and I resumed listening to the announcer. Images appeared of different competitors, extolling their strengths. They didn’t announce everyone — just the front runners. I recognized the important ones.

  “First, we have the Lady Antonia Hartigan.” The image shifted, showing Lady Hartigan in what looked to be the previous round, using air magic to propel the crystalline sphere rapidly across the arena. “One of the world’s most capable Elementalists and a fire specialist, Lady Hartigan is in a perfect position for this match. She’s purchased an advantage, and she’ll be starting out at the entrance to Flamewing Mountain.”

  “Next, we have the mysterious Shun.” Shun appeared on the crystal, in the midst of the arena from the last match. He casually side-stepped a sword swing from an enemy combatant, then blurred forward and put a hand on the man’s chest. Stone rapidly crept over the man’s body, locking him in place. I heard a murmur from the crowd at the sight. “Shun’s origins are unknown, but in his last match, he fought and scored a point against almost an entire enemy team on his own. We’re excited to see what other surprises he has in store!”

  A couple more images went by, before they finally got to another one that interested me. Reika.

  “Reika is a powerful Shapeshifter, drawing from stories of legendary dragons and serpents to change her form.” The crystal showed an image of wings bursting from Reika’s back at the start of the previous match. I snorted at the description. “She’s largely kept her abilities hidden throughout the tournament thus far, but she’s managed to walk through every round with barely a scratch. We expect she’ll be fierce competition for our next challenger...”

  The image changed again, showing a green crystal suit of armor. An excited roar erupted from the crowd. “The legendary Green Guardian, self-proclaimed hero of justice. What mysterious powers does the Green Guardian hold? Well, dear audience — we’re about to find out. Let the match begin!”

  ***

  I watched as each crystal flashed between scenes, showing each individual entering the arena — or, “arenas” might be a better term. Of the three main areas that the test took place, only a single one of them was physically on the stage in front of us. That area represented the interior of an elemental temple, constructed entirely within the borders of the coliseum. I was mystified by what it must have cost to construct the entire area in the week between tournament matches.

  The other two “arenas” were entirely outdoors. The Flamewing Mountain appeared to be an actual mountain somewhere just outside the city proper. I briefly wondered if it would be possible to run into actual monsters or mere mountain climbers while someone was participating in the tournament, but I assumed that the arena staff had gone to great efforts to clear the area and prevent anyone unexpected from getting caught up in it.

  I hoped so, at least.

  The town area was stranger — it looked as if a real village had been set ablaze, and my instincts told me to rush there with all haste to save anyone who needed it. I reassured myself repeatedly that any people there were illusory or simulacra, but I still had to struggle just to stay in my chair — that is, until he arrived in the town.

  The Green Guardian, legendary hero of justice. I watched as he flew (yes, flew) through the city, raising stone and crystal structures to support burning buildings, and quickly sweeping through the area to grab innocent civilians. I knew it was all a façade, but a part of me cheered each time I saw him lift a civilian and carry them to safety outside the town.

  He’d arrived at the village immediately, either by random chance or by selecting it as a part of one of his advantages. Reika, however, was nowhere near it.

  She’d appeared at the base of a mountainside, not far from a wooden sign. I couldn’t read the inscription, both due to the language and the lack of clarity from the crystal, but Reika took one look at it and wings burst from her back. Then, to the cheers of the crowd, she took flight toward a nearby mountainside.

  On another crystal, I saw Lady Hartigan on a mountain road. She was already racing toward the top. Rather than flying, she seemed to be running with the air propelling her faster. I knew she could fly, so I didn’t understand her reasoning — not until I looked a little bit closer, and saw something like a gigantic net, only half-visible, floating about ten feet above the road.

  That’s devious. And it means Reika…

  Reika flew straight into the net. It stretched on contact, and I heard her let out a yelp of surprise. There was a flash as electrical energy coursed through the half-visible net before Reika managed to dislodge herself from it. She snarled, the gauntlets on her hands briefly shimmering.

  I was suddenly glad I’d given her the item that provided lightning resistance. Even so, that looked like it hurt.

  An ordinary person in her situation might have cut their losses and landed, then taken the road. I would have simply cut the net.

  Reika, however, was much less about cutting than I — but far better prepared for this sort of problem.

  A moment after the electricity hit her, she vanished in a cloud of mist.

  I heard astonished gasps from the audience — she hadn’t used that trick much during the tournament, apparently. She reappeared above the net, flying upward, and stopping just before the next layer of netting.

  Apparently, that netting was floating above every single part of the road.

  Reika let out a snarl, then flew away from the mountain entirely. She moved so fast that she became a distant dot in the crystal’s view — then shot upward.

  I understood the tactic. They’d covered the area right above the road with magical netting, but it couldn’t be everywhere. She was planning to fly out of the mountain’s way entirely, then descend from above it, or at least land at a much higher point.

  It was a good tactic, in my estimation. Human attuned generally couldn’t fly with her speed or maneuverability, especially at high altitudes. It was possible they hadn’t prepared for that kind of strategy, or deliberately wanted to reward anyone who used it.

  …Reika wasn’t quite that lucky. A flock of blazing birds emerged from a cavern on the side of the mountain to pursue her, darting toward her with falcon-like speed and grace. I didn’t know if that was just because she’d reached a certain altitude or if they were intended to dissuade people from flying over the whole mountain, but either way, Reika had a swarm of problems heading her way fast.

  And, just as I began to worry about her, the crystal switched perspectives.

  There weren’t enough crystals to show every combatant at all times — or, at least, not enough that were viewable from my box in the stands. From my viewpoint, only three crystals were viewable at a time, although I could see a few more floating in the air at angles that were designed for people on other sides.

  I clenched my jaw and switched to watching someone else while I waited to see what was happening with R
ei.

  Shun was inside the temple area, standing inside a circular room with four dragon statues facing in different directions. There were three doors; one he’d probably come in from, and two that were locked.

  Next to each statue was an obvious button on the floor. Shun pressed a button with a foot, which caused two of the statues to rotate in place.

  Ah. He probably has to get all the statues facing a specific direction to open the right door, but…

  He pressed another button. Three statues rotated rather than two.

  Oh, that’s going to be annoying.

  Shun pulled out something from his bag. I assumed it’d be something exciting like a potion or a dueling cane, but it was just a notepad. He pulled out a quill, hit another switch, and began to write.

  He’s noting the ways each statue rotates. Ninety degrees for those two when he hits that button, one hundred and eighty degrees from that….

  Boring.

 

  How dare you, Dawn. I would obviously murder the doors.

 

  Shun had successfully managed to rotate the statues in his room by pressing the buttons in a certain sequence. I mentally congratulated him, even if I found that particular style of challenge boring. He found a treasure chest in the next room, and I momentarily panicked on his behalf, thinking it might be one of those horrible monsters.

  It was just a normal box. Inside, he found a rolled-up parchment of some kind. He unrolled it, took a look, and then stepped back into the previous room.

  I glanced at another crystal.

  The Green Guardian stood in the center of the burning town, staring down what was likely the source of the blaze — a nine-headed hydra. The creature wasn’t as tall as Zenkichi, but it still was a good fifteen feet in height, with bright orange scales glittering in the reflection of the flames still roaring around the village.

  My jaw involuntarily tightened. It wasn’t real, but any reminder of the Tails of Orochi was unwelcome. And, of course, I still didn’t know if the Tails of Orochi were following me.

  …Or if Shun was a hydra. True, his green hair and nails could have just been hair dye and nail coloring, or he could have been a dragon or a serpent, but I wasn’t going to get caught off-guard if I could avoid it.

  His green color scheme might have made sense if he was simply the Green Guardian entering the tournament in two different guises, but that was much less likely now that I could see them both at the same time. Sure, maybe one of them was a simulacrum of the other or a solid illusion, but that seemed less likely than the simpler explanation that they were two different people.

  The Green Guardian rushed forward, dodging a swipe of the hydra’s tail and the bite of an incoming head. He placed a single hand on the creature’s chest. Green crystal began to spread across it — only to cease and fall away the moment the hydra’s tail came back around, slamming the Green Guardian in the chest and hurling him backward.

  He hit the ground hard, rolled, and flew back to his feet with surprising agility for someone wearing a full suit of armor. Then he raised his hand and pointed, and several green crystals appeared in the air, flying forward to crash into the hydra’s chest. The crystals exploded, seemingly without effect at first, until I saw the dust that remained floating upward.

  One of the hydra’s colossal heads inhaled the powder, then began to sway in place, blinking rapidly.

  I frowned. Sleep magic, maybe? Or poison?

  Either way, it wasn’t enough to stop a creature on that scale. The hydra reared back and took a deep breath.

  The Green Guardian slammed a foot into the ground, using a technique very familiar to me, and a wall of green crystal erupted in front of him.

  Nine heads turned toward the Green Guardian and exhaled at once, each projecting a colossal wave of orange flame that met and joined into a single hotter jet. When the flames met the Green Guardian’s wall, the crystal began to melt immediately.

  He knelt down behind the wall’s protection, pressing a hand into the earth, raising another wall. The first wall buckled, and flames met the second. He began to raise a third, but the flames were faster.

  They washed over him a moment later. I heard a gasp from the crowd. For an instant, it looked as if he’d been obliterated by the colossal torrent of fire.

  There’s an important lesson to be had here — whenever someone is hidden by the smoke from a seemingly unstoppable attack, always assume they’re alive. You’ll regret it otherwise.

  In this case, when the Green Guardian stood among the parting smoke, he was not only alive — but seemingly entirely unharmed.

  The crowd cheered.

  I might have cheered along with them, but I was more interested than excited.

  The Green Guardian was supposed to be invincible, and he was clearly untouched by this powerful attack…

  …but if he had nothing to fear from it, why raise the walls to block the flames at all?

  That was something I’d have to sort through later. His fight with the hydra continued, but I shifted my focus. Reika had reappeared on one of the other crystals.

  Reika was flying rapidly, with three burning birds hot in pursuit.

  As I watched, she spun around, dodged a mid-air lunge from one of the birds, then swept a hand downward toward it. The bird opened its mouth in what I could only assume was a surprised squawk as force slammed it downward...straight into the near-invisible netting.

  There was a flicker of lightning as it connected with the net, flailing wildly...and then it turned to ashes, which drifted freely in the breeze.

  The next bird slammed into Reika from behind. She winced, then smashed it with a spiked tail before it could fly away. The bird plummeted, unmoving.

  The last bird flew at her from straight ahead. She grabbed it by the neck, then squeezed.

  I winced as ashes fell from her grip.

  Reika turned toward the mountainside, seemingly unbothered by the scorch mark on her back. Then she flew closer, frowning.

  I couldn’t tell what she was doing at first. She wasn’t moving up further, nor landing to walk up the mountainside — she simply flew closer to the stone.

 

  It was strange for Dawn to say “look closer” when she was literally using my own sense of sight to see, but she had a point.

  As I focused my own vision, I saw it — mist trailing from Reika’s eyes as she scoured the mountain range.

  Then she flew closer, and seemingly straight into the solid mountainside.

  I heard a gasp from the crowd, but I understood.

  Reika hadn’t gone incorporeal, like she had with the net. With her spirit-enhanced vision, she’d discovered an illusionary portion of the mountainside.

  This was where the small phoenixes had come from. I’d realized that there had been no obvious opening in the mountain, but I hadn’t considered the possibility of an illusion — I’d simply assumed they could teleport, or go incorporeal like she had. She’d found a secret I hadn’t even considered.

  And inside that secret passage was treasure beyond reckoning.

  The rough cavern ahead was lit by two torches, which illuminated a tremendous pile of gold coins. Among those gold coins were buried dozens of pieces of equipment — swords, spears, armor bits, and even a jeweled crown.

  Reika ignored them entirely. Perhaps she wasn’t interested in the wealth, or perhaps she, with spirit-enhanced sight, could simply see something I couldn’t.

  She flew over the treasure pile, finding something of greater value.

  A nest containing a single, still-intact egg.

  She reached down, a smile stretching across her face, and lifted the egg.

  Then, in a flash of light, she vanished.

  The crystal continued focusing on the air where she’d been standing a moment before, then shifted back to someone else.


  I quickly scanned the other crystals, but Reika wasn’t showing on any of them.

  Annoying.

 

  I sighed, ignoring Dawn and switching back to watching the Green Guardian…or, at least, I meant to. He wasn’t currently on any of the visible crystals, either.

  Instead, Lady Hartigan was showing on the crystal that he’d been displayed on before. Apparently, even legendary heroes didn’t get displayed continuously.

  Fortunately, Hartigan’s situation was almost as interesting. She stood on a thin mountain trail, advancing slowly, with one of those strange half-visible nets floating above her. I couldn’t see anything similar below — only a sheer drop to jagged rocks thousands of feet below.

  I wasn’t too worried. If she fell, she could probably just fly. The drop wasn’t the real concern — the tremendous monster standing on the other side of the ledge was.

  He was a colossal humanoid, a good nine or ten feet tall, carrying a huge iron club. He had dark red skin, but much of that was covered by surprisingly elaborate armor of a design I wasn’t familiar with. It looked like a coat of plates or brigandine, but with smaller individual plates and no obvious leather backing. He tilted his head down to look at her, showing two colossal black horns.

 

  I’d heard of ogres, and those were bad enough. The horns and powerful arms reminded me of the esharen back home, and that brought back a particularly bad memory.

 

  I frowned. It was easy to forget how much of my mind Dawn could access.

  It was…never mind. Let’s just watch the fight.

  The oni was standing right where the path widened, meaning that ordinarily, someone would have to go right through him to get off of the narrow path. Hartigan had the option of flying around him — the net wasn’t that close — but she didn’t. She walked closer.